Ed O’Neill is famous for his role as Al Bundy, a disgruntled shoe salesman on the Fox sitcom Married with Children, which earned him two Golden Globe nominations. Despite the show’s significant success, it was rumored that O’Neill and co-star Amanda Bearse, known for her role as Marcy D’Arcy, had a feud.
Speculations pointed toward creative differences and on-set disagreements, though the details remained somewhat elusive due to both actors maintaining a relatively private stance on the matter. Recently, during a podcast, the 77-year-old actor reflected on his time on the TV series, shedding light on the longstanding tension with his co-star.
Ed O’Neill explains the cause of his feud with Amanda Bearse
While speaking on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast, O’Neil delved into the core of his conflict with Bearse. The rift originated when certain members of the Married with Children cast were invited to grace the cover of a TV Guide, leaving out Bearse and David Garrison, who played supporting roles.
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O’Neill shared that Bearse confronted him, expressing the belief that he should have leveraged his status to advocate for the inclusion of the entire cast in the feature. “We didn’t get along, and we did for a long time. We were great friends. And I could guess, I don’t want to speak for her,” O’Neill explained. “It started when we got the cover of TV Guide. They were told they could not be on the cover, because they had a rule: there’s only so many [that] can be on the cover, now they violated that for two shows, I think it was M*A*S*H and Dallas.”
“That was an exception. They weren’t doing it for us. And we were lucky to get it. It was like the sixth year in or something, we were thrilled to get the cover of TV Guide. It was big. And Amanda and David came out in unison from their dressing room,” he added. “We were on the soundstage, and she said, ‘We expect you to go to [co-creator] Ron Leavitt and tell him this doesn’t work. We’re all on the cover.'”
Ed O’Neill says he regrets his reaction to Amanda Bearse’s demands
O’Neill disclosed that he interpreted the 65-year-old’s request as a direct challenge to him. Instead of maintaining composure, he succumbed to his emotions and let them influence his response. “If I was diplomatic, I should have said, ‘Fine. I’ll talk to him about it,'” he admitted. “But instead, I said, ‘No. I’m not doing that. I’m sorry you guys aren’t on the cover. I really am! I wish you were! But we can’t do anything about it. What do you want me to do, lie to you, and tell you that, you know, I’m going to go to bat for you? I’m not.'”
However, the Modern Family actor mentioned that he continues to experience remorse regarding his initial reaction, expressing a willingness to approach the situation differently if presented with another opportunity. “That’s my regret,” O’Neill confessed to Ferguson.
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